Water Bomber

Re: Water Bomber

Sat Sep 07, 2013 8:39 am

In the late 60s I worked part time for the Forestry Service while going to college, and one of my jobs was working fire lines when not planting trees. There are not any bodies of water big enough for a rig like that around here, but they did have a couple of single engine high wings with pontoons that would skim a local lake and take on water, plus a bigger 2 engine that would land at an airport about 40 miles away to refill. Those things sure are a welcome sound when you are on a fire line. The bigger rig use a fire retardant mix rather than just straight water, which kind of globbed as it fell. Stung a little if it hit you. For several years I had a spotted jacket from that. I heard a radio conversation one day, Pilot called in to report he was on station and asked where they wanted the drop. Foreman gave him location, and pilot replied that he could see some workers there and had been told that mix stung pretty bad from the impact if it hit people. Foreman replied, "You hit us with a drop yesterday, and it is not that bad". Pilot replied "Well, it's nice to know I am hitting something".

Re: Water Bomber

Sat Sep 07, 2013 10:39 am

That looks like a Grumman HU-16 modified with turboprop engines. When I was stationed on Midway Island we had an original one with Jato assisted takeoff. Rumor was that it was to be replaced with C-130. Also I saw a brochure from a Company in Japan converting HU-16's to turboprops.

Re: Water Bomber

Re: Water Bomber

Sat Sep 07, 2013 2:54 pm

Wondering if any HU-16's are still flying? Never got to fly in one or C-47/DC-3 either.

Re: Water Bomber

Sat Sep 07, 2013 5:11 pm

CL-415 which is a logical development of the CL-215 which has served all over the world as a Fire Water Bomber. Awesome aircraft. These ones use updated engines and sound nice - real nice -- but it is hard to beat the sound of those twin radials on it's predecessor. Haven't seen any of these 2 types here fighting forest fires. We still have 1 Grumman Avenger and the rest are Air Tractor AT-802Fs - all 7 owned by Forest Protection Limited. We see them a half dozen times most years. This year has been an aberration ... next to no forest fires in this area at all -- too wet

Re: Water Bomber

Sat Sep 07, 2013 5:15 pm

danovercash wrote:Wondering if any HU-16's are still flying? Never got to fly in one or C-47/DC-3 either.

Re: Water Bomber

Re: Water Bomber

Rudi...theres a nice fleet of 215's up in the NWT. Buffalo maintains 4 plus maybe a DC-4 or two rigged for fire suppression. I'm suprised you don't tune in to Mikey and the boys.

Re: Water Bomber

Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:44 am

Harold:

Joe and the kids are set for auto-record Ice Pilots is one of my favourite programs. I loved the episodes where they delivered the ones they sold to Turkey and the one they found kinda busted in Hawaii

I love the old birds really do. New ones are cool but hey ... piston engines are my heart and soul. We live as you know right in front of the approach to runway 29 so I get to see all of the birds coming in and out on that one - my favourites are the small puddle jumpers - piston engine and of course the Hercs and Aurora's (P-3 Orion's for those south of the 49th) and all the old mil birds that visit from time to time.